Keppel DC wants to rewrite the script on sustainability

Keppel Data Centres wants to rewrite the script on sustainable data centres with its 1GW Datapark+ data centre campus in Singapore.

Have you heard of Keppel DC's floating data centre park? Well, the vision has quietly - but dramatically - expanded in breadth and scope.

A vision for sustainable data centres

Keppel DC has long talked about sustainable data centres, and I've written about it since 2019.

It had explored ideas such as harnessing cold energy from LNG re-gasification, developing a medium for transporting it, and a floating data centre park.

It doesn't say much between infrequent announcements due to the experimental nature of its ideas, but also because it's owned by two SGX-listed firms.

But by reviewing what the company has publicly said about its floating data centre park, it's possible to pierce together a more detailed picture.

Datapark+ campus

What began as a floating data centre park has evolved into Datapark+, a data centre campus at the Loyang Offshore Supply Base.

The vision is to implement a range of bold, never-done-before features.

• Seawater district cooling.
• Wired up to use imported renewables.
• 1GW on-site hydrogen power generation.

Let me break it down.

• The proposed seawater district cooling system will be 10 times larger than the largest built in the world.
• For the renewables interconnect, the scale of engineering would be unprecedented.
• Hydrogen is still nascent, and Keppel DC would have to establish the entire supply chain - a first globally.

Floating data centre modules

Part of the data centre campus will be on land, housing centralised systems to provide power and cooling.

Data halls will be housed within floating data centre modules constructed elsewhere and towed into place.

• Modular design allows it to be quickly scaled up
• Older floating modules can be recycled
• Doesn't take up precious land.

Plug the water pipes and power feeds, and viola, another handful of data halls ready for business.

Green Mark for Data Centres

Keppel also has its ears on the ground regarding the latest data centre standards in Singapore.

For instance, Keppel Data Centres' CEO Wong Wai Meng is listed as (1 of 4) representatives from colocation data centre operators consulted for the Green Mark for Data Centre 2024 update.

If its plans come to fruition, we could soon have a 1GW net-zero data centre campus that alleviates Singapore's water, energy, and land challenges in one fell swoop.

What say you - achievable moonshot or impossible dream?